As Cupid takes aim this Valentine’s Day, The Blue & White is exploring the wonderful world of tennis and uncovering the love that drives these athletes to greatness. The year got off to a great start at APK, with tennis tryouts when students returned from winter break. The team was announced shortly after tryouts, with five (boys’) and six (girls’) talented players selected for each team.
On Wednesday, February 7th, 2024, the boys’ and girls’ tennis teams kicked off their season with their first matches. They faced off against their opponent, Edgewater High School, on their home court. The matches were highly anticipated, as they marked the beginning of a new season and an opportunity for the team to showcase their skills. Spectators watched as the players battled it out on the court, each team fighting hard to gain the upper hand. In the end, it was a thrilling couple of matches that showcased the hard work and dedication of both teams. Apopka’s team sadly had more losses than wins, gaining five losses and two wins overall. However, the teams should not let these losses stop them, as it is only the first matches of the season, and they have a long road ahead of them, hopefully filled with success.
The Blue & White conducted a captivating interview with two young and talented players from this year’s tennis team, namely, Hezekiah Herrera and Amariah Covington. The interview consisted of many topics, including the why, what, and how behind their passion for tennis. Starting with the boys’ team, we interviewed Freshman Hezekiah Herrera, who shared that he was initially drawn to tennis as he was on the lookout for a new sport that he could learn from and enjoy, given that he had never played tennis before. Moving on to the girls’ team, we interviewed Freshman Amariah Covington, who revealed that her inspiration for joining the tennis team stemmed from watching the movie King Richard, which motivated her to take up tennis and learn from the hard work and dedication that goes into the sport. We next asked the skilled athletes their favorite part about playing the sport. Herrera answered, “I get to meet new people within the school I already attend.” Covington gave a more ardent response. “It is an individual mind game. Although in certain situations, played with others, it is about the focus one can put into several things in a matter of seconds.” Next, we discussed what the tryout process looks like as well as practice. Hezekiah gave us some insight into what tryouts entailed. “The tryout process was not too complicated. The coach would have us hit a few balls and have us serve, and then we would play singles so he could see how we would play in a match,” he said. When asked about practice, Amariah responded, “It is just repetition. Lots and lots of repetition. After we learned the basics of swinging a racket, we were introduced to long matches, which is simply you applying the basics without letting anything get to your head.”
The next portion of the interview with Herrera and Covington discussed strategies, school-life balance, and personal goals for the season. When asking the two athletes about some tactics they use to help improve on the court, Herrera spoke on how he does breath work, as it is good in helping with concentration before a match and getting your head in the game. Covington gave a comedic reply, “I invest in earplugs to avoid any trash talk from other players,” but continued by saying how she tries to keep an open mind for the coaches and to listen to them and feedback from other players to “allow” herself to “move forward.” The Blue & White next questioned the two on how they balance their academics and their tennis commitments. Since school ends at 2:20 pm every day but Wednesday and tennis practice starts at 3 pm, Herrera says there is “no time” to do any homework outside of school. He and Covington both replied that it takes “lots of time management” and advised getting work done in classes to avoid the extra stress. Doing that allows them to follow through with tennis commitments. The last topic was the players’ personal goals for the season. Herrera said that his main goal for the season is to improve at the sport. Covington replied that she “wants to be the best support to the team as she can be” and, of course, gain some good wins.
The Blue & White also had the opportunity to interview the tennis team’s head coach, Coach Lesley Novoa. We focused on a variety of topics ranging from necessary qualities to expectations. Our interview with Coach Novoa started strong by discussing the qualities she looks for as a coach when selecting the tennis team’s roster. She replied, “We look for someone with a passion for learning and improving in the sport. We also look for those who can actually play and already know how to play.” The roster ranges from all of the above, as players such as Hezekiah Herrera had never even played the sport before trying out and joining the team. We next discussed how Coach Novoa plans on building chemistry between players on her team. She answered, “We are constantly having the players hit with each other a lot of the time. We also strongly encourage them to cheer on their teammates while waiting for their match to start.”
After this, we moved on to the next topic: Novoa’s coaching philosophy and approach to training. She shares that as a coach, she aims to “facilitate their knowledge in the sport in all areas,” including rules, strategies, and technique. She also aims to avoid working on the same things every practice. She said, “Some players come in asking to work on certain areas, so we help them in those areas.” Next, we talked about how she helps motivate players to give their best in the sport at all times, both on and off the court. She replied, “by being present.” She continued, “If they see us cheering them on and encouraging them on the court, it makes them want to keep going. Before they go out to play, we also make sure to give them a quick pep talk and ensure they are ready to go.” The next question The Blue & White had was if there are any specific strategies or techniques she emphasizes in her coaching. Novoa responded that her “biggest” strategy and technique is communication. She also said that if players need help during a match, they are required to ask coaches for help or else they don’t receive any, so as a coach she is “always” asking if they are good or need anything.
The last subject of our interview with tennis Coach Lesley Novoa was her expectations for her team in terms of performance and sportsmanship this season. She says that performance-wise, she expects every athlete to “give their best” and that sportsmanship is “huge” when it comes to playing a sport. She says that she expects every one of her players to be “respectful” to each other, their coaches, and all adults they go on to interact with during the season. She continued, saying, “We are representing Apopka High School, and we expect our players to display a sense of pride.”
The tennis season is truly in full swing, as they have already been getting down to business. There is great hope for the team as they continue through their season. Regardless of scores and performance, Apopka High School is still proud of its players and wishes the team a successful season.
